Monoplane.



F. & E. KRAMSKY. MONOPLANE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I3, 1913.

Patented June 1, 1915a 2 SHEETS-SHEET l- Q5 n vc 1111) 2.10 Frank (Mums 3L F. & E. KRAMSKY.

MONOPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 13, 1913- Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Edward ifimmsli FRANK KRAMSKY AND EDWARD KRAMSKY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MONOPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June El, 1915.

Application filed September 13, 1913. Serial No. 789,587.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK KRAMSKY and EDWARD KRAMsKY, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Monoplanes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to monoplane aircrafts, and its object is to construct an aeroplane of this particular type that is both strong in construction and stable in flight, and which, owing to the construction and the particular arrangement of the'plane and its ailerons, is capable of high speed.

Another object is to provide a suitable cabin and a keel that will offer but slight longitudinal resistance to the air-currents in order that they will materially assist in maintaining the equilibrium of the air-craft (luring afiight.

Still another object is to construct the ailerons in a novel and effective manner and to arrange the operating parts thereof so that they may be moved either simultaneously or independently of each other as desired, or that they will permit said ailerons to be utilized both for ascending or descending and also for banking in either direction.

Our invention also relates to a novel propeller the construction of which will avoid to a great extent the splintering or breaking of the blades thereof either in flight or during the making of a landing.

These and other objects we accomplish by the means and in the manner hereinafter fully described and as more particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts in the various figures.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal side elevation of our improved monoplane air-craft. Fig. 2 is a vertical rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of the machine taken on line 44, Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of the machine taken on line 5-5, Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fi 6 is a detailed perspective View of a ragmental portion of the car showing the construction and operation of the movable keel fins.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a suitable monoplane that is substantially triangular in shape and which, preferably, tapers from its bow to its stern. The framework of this plane is of any of the wellknown and approved constructions and needs not, therefore, to be described herein. Mounted below the monoplane is a suitable body or car 2 that is substantially triangular in horizontal cross-section and which extends from the stern of the plane in a forward direction to a point about midway the length of the same, the vertical side-walls 3 of said car being substantially parallel with the tapering or converging side edges of the sustaining plane. Bearings are provided at each of the three lower corners of the car for suitable wheels or rollers 4, L, 4, upon which the monoplane is adapted to be supported when the machine is resting upon or traveling along the ground.

Extending downwardly and rearwardly from the forward pointed apex of the triangle forming the monoplane is a suitable vertically disposed triangularshaped fin or keel 5, that is rigidly secured along its upper edge to the under surface of the plane and has its upright rear edge secured to the forward pointed end of the car. This keel is utilized for the purpose of maintaining the direction of travel of the machine as well as assisting in the balancing thereof, and said keel, preferably, continues rearwardly and downwardly below the car and terminates at a point below the stern of the car. The portion of the keel last mentioned extends under the entire length of the car, as shown, and, preferably, comprises two independently movable parallel fins 6, 6, that are hinged to the car floor and are each provided with cut-away or recessed portions 7 in their vertical rear edges so that they will escape the rear wheels 4 when said fins are raised in a horizontal position, as shown in Figs, 4 and (i of the drawings. \Vhen the monoplane is negotiating a landing, or when it is traveling along the ground, it is obvious that these fins 6 must be raised into a horizontal position so that they will not come in contact with or scrape against the ground. In order to do this, we prefer to mount said fins upon suitable rock-shafts 8, 8, and to provide the same with suitable operating hand levers 9, 9, that are secured to their respective rock-shafts in such a position that their upper ends will extend up into the car at a point most convenient to the aviator. Suitable spring latches 10 are secured on the said levers 9 so that their bolts engage suitable recesses or ratchets made in the upper edges of segmental plates 11, 11, and thus hold and lock said levers many of the adjusted positions to which they may be moved.

Our monoplane is driven by means of a suitable propeller that we prefer to mount at the rear of the plane. This propeller, preferably, comprises four radially disposed blades 12, 12, that are surrounded by and have their outer extremities secured to a suitable fiat annulus or ring 13 for the purpose of strengthening the same, and which, when in operation, affords a suitable balance-wheel. Said propeller is secured to the rearwardly extended end of a rotatable shaft 14: that is journaled in suitable bearings carried by the frame-work of the monoplane, and the inner end of said shaft has a beveled pinion 15 secured thereto that derives motion from a vertically disposed drive-shaft 16. This last mentioned shaft is connected in any suitable manner to a motor or engine 17, and is provided with a beveled pinion 18 on its upper end that meshes with pinion 15, and thereby transmits the motion of the-engine shaft to the propeller shaft.

In order to control our monoplane when in flight, we prefer to employ two ailerons 19, 19, that are substantially semi-circular in outline and are mounted upon independent rock-shafts 20, 20, journaled in bearing brackets or knuckles 21, secured to the straight rear edge of the plane. These ailerons are adapted to be raised or lowered simultaneously for the purpose of ascent and descent, or they may be operated independently of each other for turning or banking. This operation is accomplished by means of pinions 22, 22, secured on the adj acent inner ends of rock-shafts 20, and said pinions are adapted to be rotated by means of longitudinally reciprocable horizontally disposed racks 23 23. Said racks 23 are mounted so as to reciprocate in planes substantially parallel to each other and their forward ends terminate at a convenient point inside the car 2 where they are pivotally connected to the upper ends of a pair of vertically disposed hand control-levers 24, 2-4. A suitable spring ratchet bolt 25 is mounted on the lower ends of each of these lever-s24 which engage ratchets in the upper faces of segmental plates 26. 26, and lock the levers in their adjusted positions. By operating these levers either simultaneously or independently of each other the ailerons are similarly moved and the direction of travel of the monoplane is accordingly altered.

lVhile we have herein shown and described specific constructions and instrumentalities for accomplishing the various functions of the machine, we do not wish to be understood as making specific claim to the same, for it is obvious that any well-known equivalent may be substituted therefor without departing from the spirit of our invention. Any and all such substitutions we desire it understood are included within the scope of our appended claims.

lVhat we claim as new is:

1. An air craft comprising a monoplane, a car supported thereby, a propeller located at the rear of the car, and a central keel below said monoplane, a portion extending below said car comprising two fins hinged attheir upper edges and adapted to be swung into different inclined planes.

2. An air craft comprising a monoplane, a

car supported thereby, a propeller at the rear of the car, and a central keel extending below said monoplane, a portion of said keel projecting below said car comprising two fins adapted to be moved independently into different inclined planes.

3. An air craft comprising a monoplane, a car supported thereby below said monoplane, a propeller at the rear thereof, and a longitudinal central keel extending below said car that increases in depth from the forward end of the craft to the rear end thereof, a portion of said keel extending below said car comprising two fins mounted on parallel axes, and adapted to be actuated from a position within the car.

1. An air craft comprising a monoplane, a car supported thereby below the same, and a longitudinal central keel extending below said 'car that increases in depth from the bow to the stern of the monoplane, a por tion of said keel below said car comprising two equal parts mounted on parallel rock shafts, means for actuating said rock-shafts from a position within the car.

5. An air craft comprising a monoplane, a car supported by said monoplane below the same, and a central keel increasing in depth from the bow to the stern of said monoplane, a portion extending under said car comprising two fins hinged at'their upper edges to parallel rock-shafts, independent means within the car for rocking the shafts.

6. An air craft comprisinga monoplane, a car supported by said monoplane below the same, and a central keel increasing in depth from the bow to the stern of said monoplane andextending under said car, the portion of said keel below said car being hinged at its upper edge and adapted to be swung laterally into different inclined planes.

7. An air craft comprising a monoplane, a car supported by said monoplane below the same, a propeller at the rear of said car, and a central keel increasing in depth from the bow to the stern of said monoplane, a portion of said keel extending under said car comprising two fins hinged at their upper edges and adapted to be moved away from each other into diiferent inclined planes.

air craft comprising a monoplane 'the sides of which converge toward the bow thereof, a car supported by said monoplane below the same, a propeller at the rear of said oar, ailerons hinged to the stern of said plane on each side of said propeller, and a central keel extending longitudinally below said car that increases in depth from the bow to the stern of said monoplane.

9. An air craft comprismg a monoplane the edges of which converge from the stern toward the bow thereof, a car supported by and mounted below said monoplane, a propeller at the rear of said car, ailerons having their transverse edges hinged to the stern of said plane on each side of said propeller,

and a keel increasing in depth from the bow ed, an'd separate means for rocking each of 7 said shafts.

11. An air-craft comprisinga monoplane the side edges of which converge toward the' bow thereof, a ear mounted below said plane having tapering side-walls, a propeller, a

substantially semi-circular aileron on each side of said propeller in the same horizontal plane as said monoplane, independent rockshafts upon which said ailerons are mount ed, a pinion on the inner end of each shaft, and means for actuating said pinions.

' 12. An air-craft comprising a monoplane I the side edges of which converge toward the bow thereof, a car mounted below said plane having tapering side-walls, a propeller, a

substantially semi-circular ail'eron on each side of said propeller in the same horizontal plane as said monoplane, independent rockshafts upon which said ailerons are mounted, a. pinion on the inner end of each shaft, and means operated from the interior of said car for actuating said pinions.

13. An air-craft comprising a monoplane the side edges of which converge toward the bow thereof, a car mounted below said plane I having tapering side-walls, a propeller, a substantially semi-circular aileron on each side of said propeller in the same horizontal plane as said monoplane, independent rocksha'fts upon which said ailerons are mounted, a pinion on the inner end of each shaft, longitudinally reciprocable racks operated from the interior of said car for actuating said pinions, and independent control levers for reciprocating said racks.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 29th day of August,

FRANK KRAMSKY.

EDWARD KRAMSKY.

- Witnesses:

' F. J. KOPECHY,

JosEPH J. KRAMsKY. 

